The tiny, silent killer at your place

A surgeon has warned parents over a common household item that could prove deadly to children.

Each week, 20 Aussie youngsters are hospitalised after swallowing button batteries, found in bathroom scales, some remotes, toys and watches.

Doctor John Curotta, an ear, nose and throat specialist, has warned the batteries can quickly damage soft tissue if eaten.

He told 7 News, "If they go into your gullet and get stuck there, the secretions act like caustic soda.

"We've had two children die in Australia from the battery eroding through and the child bleeding to death."

The batteries can burn through flesh and cause severe problems in just two hours.

One child, recently lost half his oesophagus after swallowing a battery.

And another, a six-year-old boy, was taken to hospital after telling his dad he'd ingested a battery, which showed up when he was given an x-ray.

Most children rushed to hospital after ingesting a battery are under six years old.

Product Safety Australia has launched a campaign to highlight the dangers of the batteries.

Symptoms of swallowing a button battery may include:

chest pain

coughing

nausea/vomiting

diarrhoea

abdominal pain,

not eating hard food, or

fever

Button batteries are found in common devices:

bathroom scales

hearing aids

reading lights

flameless candles

games and toys

watches

calculators

torches and laser lights

remote control devices that unlock car doors and control MP3 speakers, and

musical greeting cards.

What to do if parents believe their child may have swallowed a button battery:

If parents believe their child has swallowed a battery, first call the 24 hour Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for fast expert advice. They may encourage you to call an ambulance on 000. Do not give any food or water.